Analysis of factors affecting the realization of right to adequate housing in Iran: developing an interpretive-structural model

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHMA-02-2021-0021
• Published date: 16 June 2021
• Date: 16 June 2021
• Pages: 411-428
• Subject Matter: Property management & built environment,Real estate & property,Housing markets
• Author: Moslem Zarghamfard,Abolfazl Meshkini

Analysis of factors affecting the

realization of right to adequate

housing in Iran: developing an

interpretive-structural model

Moslem Zarghamfard and Abolfazl Meshkini

Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Humanities,

Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Purpose –Access to adequate housing represents a right entitled to any individual, as has been

acknowledgedby all states around the world. In Iran, despite the declaration of this right as per the Article 31

of Iran’s Constitution,it is yet to be realized. The purpose of this study is to developing a model for realization

of the right to the adequatehousing.

Design/methodology/approach –The present research was performed through a guided qualitative

method. Structural-interpretative modeling was performedto present the model of right to adequate housing,

and Mic Mac analysis was conducted for clustering the identified factors. Statistical population was

composedof housing experts, with the samples taken via purposivesampling technique.

Findings –Based on the findings, the following factors were found to impose the largest effects on the

realization of the right to adequate housing: alignment with ideology and beliefs of society; governance

structure relatedarrangements; social structure related arrangements;improving security of tenure; justice in

tenure; and localrequirements.

Practical implications –Findingsof this research contributes to increasing the awarenessof the housing

officials about their policies, reminding them the necessity of revisiting their routines for policy-setting.

Indeed, theymust switch from centralized policymaking to localized(provincealization) policymaking.

Originality/value –To the best of authors’knowledge,this research is the first to investigate the right to

adequatehousing in Iran, elaborating on the relationshipbetween relevant theories and practicalissues.

Keywords Iran, Housing policy, Right to adequate housing, Adequate housing,

Interpretative-structural modeling, Mic Mac analysis

Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction

Urbanization is a reflection of the human activities that tend to evolve the pattern of the

human activities and socialstructures. No one can ever deny the great role of urbanization in

the social and economic evolutions, wealth production, flourishment and development. Yet

the phenomenon of urbanization comes with numerous challenges, including the urban

poverty, development of slums and lack of adequate housing, to name a few of the most

important ones. The source of many social, economic, technical and political challenges in

the southern countries can be searched in the unleashed urbanization (Zarghamfard et al.,

2019). This has led to some crises in the capitalisticneo-liberal world of today, where the city

fails to go through a normal flow ad rather undergoes interruptions in different parts. The

commercialization of thecities has set the scene for a battle for higher wages (Meshkini and

Zarghamfard, 2020).In the meantime, one of the most important demands that has been long

raised by the citizens is the housing. The housing represents a definite legal demand for

Realization of

right to

adequate

housing

411

Received19 February 2021

Revised12 March 2021

Accepted18 March 2021

InternationalJournal of Housing

Marketsand Analysis

Vol.15 No. 2, 2022

pp. 411-428

© Emerald Publishing Limited

1753-8270

DOI 10.1108/IJHMA-02-2021-0021

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/1753-8270.htm

every single citizen in a city; it is, however, increasinglymore difficult to achieve in today’s

world, making it an even no more than a sweat dreamin certain parts of the world –a dream

that people can taste nothing buta reflection when sleeping. All around the world, the neo-

liberalization of cities and private ownership of spaces and facilities have kept a large

fraction of the urban population from enjoying adequate housing, rather leaving them in a

constant attempt to realize the dream of adequate housing. Lack of affordability to procure

adequate and desirable housing in preferred location pushes the people out toward the

margins of the city, making the urban margins increasingly more populated with time and

expanding what are referred to as slums, unofficialresidences and non-regulated sites. Lack

of adequate housing is a global issue that varies in extensivenessdepending on the position

of different countries. Access to the adequatehousing is described as the concept of right to

adequate housing. The concept of right to adequate, desirable housing has been well

acknowledged in various national, regionaland international resolutions and protocols, not

to mention its declarationin more than 100 state constitutions. This has been becauseof the

intrinsic association of the right to adequate housing with other human rights. In fact, the

denial of the right to adequatehousing is known to lead to numerous implications, including

the deprival and violation of other rights such as the right to work, education, health care,

social relationships,participation in decision-making, etc. Despite the emphasismade on the

right to adequate housing, the challenges ahead of the realization of such right are

increasing around the globe.

Iran is not an exception to this rule, withits housing challenges and problems becoming

acuter on a daily basis; this can be rooted back to unleashed urbanization. Being greatly

affected by the globalization and modernization phenomena (Meshkini et al.,2019), the

unleashed urbanizationin Iran has led to the emergence and development of “inequitygaps”

in the distribution and allocationof facilities, which in turn had ended up with some “spatial

segregation”among different classes of the same society (Molaeiqelichi et al.,2017). In this

way, access to housing, andmore particularly, adequate housing, becomes challengingfor a

variety of social classes, so that not all people can enjoy desirable housing. Presently,

provision of housing for low-to-moderate-income households has become nearly impossible,

clearly exposing the imbalance between the population growth and construction of new

residential units (Ghaedrahmati and Zarghamfard, 2020). Put differently, the supply of and

demand for housing are highly imbalanced, leading to an ever-intensifying deficiency of

housing. A review of the governmental policies on the housing, as per the Five-Year

Development Plans, shows that, in spite of the emphasison the public support for widening

the private ownership of housesby mass population, the relevantsupport has failed to cover

a major portion of the households in need,mainly unofficial labors in cities.

As a matter of fact, the problem of adequate housing in Iran has long been a hot topic,

and various administrations have declared it as a priority policy on the cabinet’s agenda.

The Iranian housing problem started in the 1960s and its severityhas increased constantly

since then. During the past decades when the new Iranian constitution was beingadopted,

the right to adequate housing was regarded under Article 31 of the constitution, following

which several policies were set. However, as of today, the housingproblem persists and has

led to the emergence of such undesirable phenomena like “grave-as-a-housing,”“rooftop-as-

a-housing”and “sewage-as-a-housing.”Given the critical state of the housing in Iran, it can

be referred to as an “Iranian Dream.”Nevertheless, the concept of the right to adequate

housing provides a foundation for improved living conditions and protecting forced

dispossession. Although the right to adequate housing is well recognized appropriately

under the constitution, a code of practice is yet to be developed for its implementation,

leaving the right to adequate housing yet to be realized. Given that the right to adequate

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